The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games September 6-17, 2008
The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games September 6-17, 2008
(BEIJING, August 28) -- 44,000 Games-time volunteers have been selected from 908,334 applicants from 27 countries and regions around the world to serve during the Beijing Paralympic Games.
These volunteers will be assigned to work in 2,170 posts in 43 fields, mainly providing services at Paralympic venues. Their work will include helping with guest reception, language translation, transportation, security and medical services, among other BOCOG-designated areas.
Another 400,000 city volunteers will provide information consultation, language interpretation and emergency aid services at 550 posts throughout Beijing. 1 million social volunteers will also be providing services, working as cheerleaders during the Paralympic Games.
In the past three years, the BOCOG Volunteer Department has organized systematic training, focusing on volunteers' abilities to help people with disabilities.
Throughout Beijing, BOCOG has designated 29 Paralympic bases for the training of Games-time volunteers. These bases have been divided into three categories: comprehensive services, testing sites and practice avenues. They are the platforms where volunteers learn to interact with persons with disabilities. Through close contact, volunteers have improved interpersonal skills while training to better accommodate the physical needs of people with disabilities.
In addition, volunteers have received on-site training at rehabilitation centers and special activities hosted for people with disabilities.
All Olympics volunteers are determined to be "promoters of the Olympic spirit" and "practitioners of the volunteer service concept," as well as "representatives of China's peaceful development image." Their patient, friendly attitudes will help deliver people-oriented services for the approaching Paralympic Games in the hopes of creating a warm and comfortable environment for athletes.
Over 90 percent of the Paralympic volunteers had also served for the recently concluded Beijing Olympic Games. According to Liu Jian, director of BOCOG's Volunteer Department, volunteers have contributed to the success of the Olympic Games, winning praise from athletes, officials, the media and spectators for excellent services.
